The Glass of Water on the Lemonade Stand

There once was a little boy that dreamed of having his own lemonade stand. However, for those that know, there aren’t many lemonade stands in the projects. Unfortunately, due to socio-economic pressures, there are things of greater concern to everyone in the neighborhood besides helping a young man hone in on his entrepreneur skills. But, nonetheless, that little boy would sit in front of the T.V. hypnotized by the illusion of his own lemonade stand – he got it, but not the way he expected. See, there’s another saying, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” I think that’s the illusion to the only lemonade stand that this young man would be able to call his own; instead of getting the help of the community to build a wooden stand and, thus, being greeted by eager pedestrians with their coins, moistened brows, and thirsty smiles, there was no stand, there were no pedestrians, but there were definitely enough lemons. However, this is not the point of this story. Somewhere in the mix of making lemonade out of your own misfortune, we tend to forget to focus on the most important addition to any lemonade, even the powdered kind, water.

For those of you who are more familiar with my writing at this point, you know that I tend to write in metaphors that flirt generously with reality and are always laced with personal experience – this is no exception. I was the young boy that had to learn how to juice a lemon to make lemonade around the age of 6 and has since become the lemonade connoisseur. However, while on the 4 train to Wall Street this morning, I realized that when you only focus on the lemons and the process of making lemonade, regardless of how much sugar and fresh lemon juice you had, if you don’t take the moment to find that glass of water, the equation will never balance out. Thus, you will be stuck with the bitter, undiluted, sour pulp of your previous situations and never really get the sweet pay off of your hard work. But, I’m getting a little ahead of myself. What do I mean when I refer to this glass of water? When I say the glass of water on the lemonade stand, I’m referring to the epiphany that entices a smile on your face when you know that something finally makes sense; the warm feeling in your chest that reminds you that there is still a heart there and you didn’t leave it with the last person who broke it.

This moment of clarity is deemed the glass of water because water is not only refreshing, but it is the universal solvent (I had to throw that in there for my chemistry/biology junkies). This means that water can break down any solid object over time – there isn’t much that can stand the test of water and time! So, what does this mean for your current situation, regardless of how grim it may seem? It means that, after you are done with the tears, frustrations, and you have salvaged the last drop from your citrusy situation, the easy part is done. Now you must do the hard part of allowing yourself to step back and remain open to the moment where the sunlight may hit that glass of water and show you that rainbow as the glass reflects the electromagnetic spectrum. I’m sure we are all familiar with what the rainbow signifies in the biblical story, “Noah’s Ark.” But, for my agnostic and atheist readers that may be reaching for their mouse, relax, I promise I won’t make this a sermon, just a life lesson.

That glass of water represents more than just the replenishment of your laborious task of being optimistic when happiness, motivation, and that inner joy is in short supply. It represents the PROMISE that the universe, God, and energy have made to all of mankind: despite the troubles and tribulations, you will be rewarded for all of your hard work if you just hold on. Your risk will be scaled back to you tenfold and your tears will all turn into blessings in some fashion, way, or form. For some, this moment of clarity may mean dropping all that you “know” and taking a chance on photography (where you at Tieshka? Lol) , or it may mean putting your past experience as a psychotherapist down and pursuing your dream of fashion, beauty, and entertainment (cheers to you Delano!), but regardless of what this moment of clarity means for you, you will be alright as long as you remain open to the clarity of the glass of water on the lemonade stand.

For me, I feel this moment in my life is just beginning as I work to understand the relevance of my own beauty, artistry, academia, and business sense. This process is also coming to light as I realize and seek to re-define what happiness, success, and potential really means. Unfortunately, the clicking of stilettos and swish of business suits on Wall Street no longer seem to hold their sway as I’d hoped. This only means that I’m starting to realize that there may be something more that I am meant to do that has evolved past my childhood dreams of success, prosperity, and happiness. To be quite frank, that’s what life is about right? re-defining and re-imagining the things we were taught or thought we knew and replacing them with experience and our own dash of honey, spice, and everything nice.

As you trek toward the end of your week and you enjoy your weekend, remember to no longer just dream, but work to turn your dreams into visions; visions are only dreams made into a reality. Regardless of the number of taste tests you conduct on your current situation, if you are too busy to add water, it will never be ready. Instead, wipe your hands, sit down, and wait for the water boy of life to hand you your glass; you have worked hard enough. It’s time to replenish, refresh, and refocus.